Friday, Aug 17, 2007    Text size: 

"As a sex toy company, we have a responsibility to our customers and also the environment, to ensure that our products are disposed of properly," LoveHoney's Ruth Wilkinson told XBIZ. "Rabbit Amnesty is just the beginning."

Wilkinson said customers can send their outdated, broken or overused rabbit vibrators to LoveHoney and in return receive a new rabbit vibe for half price.

The old toys will be sent to a Designated Collection Facility, she said, where they will be broken down and recycled in an ecologically sound manner, in compliance with European Union Waste Electrical Equipment Regulations introduced July 1.

These regulations, she said, state that householders have a "duty of care" to dispose of waste electrical equipment safely, and can no longer toss old electrical equipment — including vibrators — in a regular trash bin.

For each vibrator sent to LoveHoney, Wilkinson said the company will donate almost $2 to the World Land Trust to support tropical forest land purchase and protection projects.

"Although some people might think it's strange to recycle sex toys, rabbit sales are growing every year and we don't want old ones dumped in landfill sites across the country," LoveHoney head buyer Bonnie Hall said. "Rabbit Amnesty will take embarrassment out of the equation and give people the chance to dispose of their rabbits in an environmentally friendly way."

A self-proclaimed "green queen," Wilkinson said that Rabbit Amnesty is a great way to help the environment — and the incentive of receiving a half-priced vibrator in return makes it even better.